In: Operations Management
You have just been hired as the new human resource manager for Delta Inc. On your first day at work the CEO wants to meet with you to discuss a proposed evaluation of compensation practices at Delta. Unfortunately, the CEO is very busy and wants you to - in a short meeting - thoroughly describe the most important generic aspects of a compensation system that should be considered when evaluating Delta’s compensation practices. The CEO tells you to plan on a 10 minute meeting – you have to be brief and succinct – what are you going to tell the CEO?
I will start the 10 minute meeting by highlighting the fact that compensation strategy of a company should be aligned with its business strategy. Delta’s strategy is based on the two pronged premise of excellent level of customer experience and on treating its employees well. Apart from this the company maintains an effective cost structure so as to be sustainable on a long term basis.
In this context I will inform the CEO that compensation strategy of Delta should be so designed that it promotes and supports the theory of stewardship within the company. As per the theory of stewardship managers and employees are more motivated by the goals of their principals and not by their own individual goals.
Compensation strategies should be designed to provide the stewards of Delta a higher level of utility. This will lead to a situation in which the employees of Delta (or Delta’s stewards) will, on one hand, protect the interests of the principals, and on the other hand, will maximize their level of utility.